Learning the space. The change of spatial cognition of a city centre by high-school students in the light of mental maps and sketches

Gaining knowledge is a lifelong process. Humans tend to learn new things entire life, especially in recent, technologically-demanding times. This process is contradicted by lowered learning potential with aging and is often economic-dependant too, so the digital divide is a serious, growing problem. The fact of learning and gaining new thing can be easily transposed to cognition, including space cognition as people learn space. Beside formal education with maps, atlases and GIS, one learns by experience and interaction with that space. Education can be seen as a duty and to some it may be unpleasant. Gaining knowledge about the environment by simply using it, exploring, and living in it is trouble-free – it is not to be tested like the formal knowledge is expected to be. One can benefit only by gain extra skills in space-perception and orienteering. These skills are pretty useful while a bit diminishing recently due to global positioning and location based digital services which offer a ready-to-use solutions and answers without experiencing spatial-problem solving processes. This paper tries to explore the process of learning a new place and finding evidences of it and ways to present it. The case study deals with high-school students coming to schools in the city of Lublin from outside it (not living there). It is expected their knowledge changes (increases) during the whole education process – from the first to the third class. The method used to test students’ knowledge is drawing mental sketches, analysing and translating them into GIS environment to visualise and explore

An Exploration of Digital Sketch Mapping, Interview and Qualitative Analysis to Document a Therapeutic Landscape in Whatcom County

Recent literature cites interest toward utilizing new technologies to unify methods within geography. One area showing promise towards fulfilling this goal is qualitative GIS (QGIS), which combines the methods of social/cultural and spatial/analytical geographers. QGIS research combines sketch maps with GIS and qualitative research methods to uncover “hidden geographies” found within the individual geo-narratives of individuals and within groups of individuals. This thesis explores the merits of using newly developed technology for digital sketch maps acquisition, computer assisted qualitative data analysis (CAQDAS) and qualitative geographic information system (QGIS) analysis for the discovery of “hidden geographies”. The case study demonstrates the utility of touchscreen technology to collect sketch maps and the complementary effect of combining social/cultural and spatial/analytical methods to visualize the hidden geography within the therapeutic landscape of student veterans in Whatcom County, Washington. This exploration also suggests direction for further research using digital sketch map acquisition for gaining insights into other socio-spatial processes that are not captured by traditional geographical analysis methods

Sketchbook as an architectural design instrument of the cognitive creation process for the quality of place

The paper explores possibilities for using sketchbook in architect’s education as an architectural design instrument for the cognitive creation processes for the production of quality of place. We strongly believe that for the architect’s education and future professional work, unconscious mental cognitive processes could be best captured by freehand drawing and sketching, beside conscious cognitive mental activities of perception, thinking, understanding, judgment and reasoning. This paper presents possibilities and results of new designed and tested teaching concepts and methods for the architectural design based on the course Sketchbook – Drawn Thoughts which form the part of the curriculum at the Master level of studies at the University of Belgrade Faculty of Architecture. As famous architects refer to sketches as the beginnings for the development and formulation of conceptions of architectural design, freehand drawings represent materialization of visual mental images and visions based both on rational thinking and on the impressions influenced by other human senses such as hearing, relaxing and sensing. Five mentors tested their respective different methods on students using sketchbook as an architectural design instrument, each one revealing different, yet interesting outcomes that led to conclusions of variety of outputs which might be useful for the cognitive creation processes within the architect’s education processes. We will show these methods and their application on student’s work and the results originated from such an approach. At the end of the paper, based on our research, we will set conclusions and recommendations both for the architect’s education processes and practice of creation of place as the profession’s ultimate goal

Perception of space through representation media: a comparison between 2D representation techniques and 3D virtual environments

Thesis (Master)--İzmir Institute of Technology, Architecture, İzmir, 2005Includes bibliographical references (leaves: 109-113)Text in English; Abstract: Turkish and Englishxii, 122 leavesFor centuries, 2D drawing techniques such as plans, sections and elevations have been the main communication media for the profession of architecture. Addition to these techniques, for two decades, computer based representation techniques and 3D virtual environments (VE) have also entered to the profession of architecture. Effects of these computer based techniques on perception of space have always been interrogated by several researches.Although these researches generally regarded these computerized techniques as better and proper than conventional techniques, in some cases conventional techniques can be more effective to depict architectural space. Main aim of this thesis is to compare and evaluate the positive effects and shortcomings of 3D virtual environments and 2D conventional representation techniques in the context of perception of architectural space. Parallel to this objective, the thesis also aims to show the differentiation in perception of space with the change of representation media. To show these differences, a comparative method is used. As the main step of the application of this method, an experimental case study and survey has been constituted for comparing 2D conventional techniques and 3D computer based techniques. In this survey, 38 first yearstudents from Izmir Institute of technology have taken place as test subject.According to the results of this comparative case study, contributions and shortcomings of 2D conventional representation techniques and 3D computer based techniques on improving the capability of architects on perception of the space have been determined